Articles

In this ARTICLES section are the following articles concerning Titus genealogy:

Titus Coat of Arms. The history and current status of the Titus coat of arms, and the rules of heraldry that govern the use of these symbols, by Bill Arthurs.

Charles The First. A transcription by Bill Arthurs of sections of a book written by George Hillier concerning letters sent by King Charles I to Silas Titus, the half-brother of Robert Titus who emigrated to Massachusetts from England in 1635.

Chattie's Diary. An historical perspective of a diary written by my tenth cousin, three times revoved, in 1870 and 1871. The everyday life of a young girl during that period in northern PA. By Bill Arthurs.

On Making Memories. An essay by Bill Arthurs on the role of memories in the preservation of family history. Originally published in Anglo-Celtic Roots, the journal of the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa.

An Emotional Moment In Genealogy. The tragic story of a Titus cousin lost on September 11th, 2001, written by Bill Arthurs and published in Anglo-Celtic Roots.

Reaching Ten Million - The Easy Way. An article written by Bill Arthurs for Anglo-Celtic Roots on the uncommon names one encounters in conducting genealogical research.

Connections. Some interesting people connected to Titus family genealogy.

The Titus Coat of Arms was awarded to the Titus family, specifically to Silas Titus, assumed to be the half-brother of Robert who came to America with his wife, Hannah and two sons in 1635. According to heraldic “rules” a family passes the coat of arms down through the eldest son. In this case Silas Titus had only daughters, so the entitlement to bear the Titus coat of arms died with him. An article entitled Arms and the Woman by J. Shaw throws some light on those rules as they would apply to any of Silas Titus’s daughters. Shaw writes:

George Hillier's "Narrative of the attempted escapes of Charles the First from Carisbrook Castle, and of his detention in the Isle of Wight, from November, 1647 to the seizure of his person by the Army, at Newport, in November, 1648, including the letters of the King to Colonel Titus". The data below consists of excerpts from Mr. Hillier's book. The letters were from King Charles I to Colonel Silas Titus, the younger half-brother of Robert Titus who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1635.

Her name was Cynthia Melissa Fuller and she was born on March 1, 1850 in Ridgebury Township, Bradford County, in rural northern Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of William James Fuller and Cynthia M. Graves. Everyone knew her as "Chattie," a nickname that was no doubt bestowed upon her with a certain amount of justification.

It has been said that we share this planet with three types of people. There are those few whose purpose in life appears to be a primal urge to make things happen. Then there is a larger group, those who are content to follow those who make things happen. Finally, there appears to be a substantial number (and I suspect that most of us fall into this latter category) that are happy enough, when everything is over and the dust has settled, to simply ask, "What happened?"

Not all moments in genealogy can be described as great, as in momentous. Many, however, are memorable. And for various reasons. This is one I would describe as memorable in an emotional sense, not only for myself, but for many others involved in the story. It also illustrates how history can occasionally intrude, often uninvited, into our everyday lives.

This story is probably not exactly a great moment in genealogy, but I believe it at least borders upon being interesting. Let me start by saying that for the past 20 years I have been involved in a “one-name” study of the Titus family, Titus being my mother’s maiden name.

As more and more people are entered into the rolls of Titus genealogy, some interesting connections emerge. Already mentioned is the induction of James Dewey Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, into the Titus "hall of fame." Some go back various distances in time, and a few are our contemporaries. All share a Titus heritage. A few are outlined below. Others are waiting to be discovered.

Now and then, during my Titus research, I come across the results of a common urge to put emotions on paper in the form of poetry and verse. I have titled the section "In Other Words" simply because the emotions expressed below are unique to each author.

This should not be looked upon as some form of literary contest, but it can perhaps provide a glimpse into the personalitys of some of our wonderful Titus ancestors.

Below are the titles of some books pertaining to genealogy, genetics and the Titus family. As is typical in the genealogical field, some of these references were printed in limited editions and could be out of print.